Top 3 Ways to Maximize Your Small Business Server Consulting Profits
Over the past 7 years, Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) has gained traction as a widely-respected Small Business Server networking suite.
As a result, many small business computer consultants, systems integrators, and value-added resellers have jumped on-board the Microsoft Small Business Server bandwagon.
However, before you go ahead and bet YOUR company on Microsoft Small Business Server, consider the following three Small Business Server Business Tips? so you can maximize your Small Business Server consulting profits.
(1) Most businesses in your area have never heard of Microsoft Small Business Server.
Although there may be hundreds, if not thousands, of small businesses in your area that would be excellent candidates for Microsoft Small Business Server, don’t make the ultra-common mistake of assuming that the typical non-technical small business owner even knows what Microsoft Small Business Server is.
If you want to maximize your consulting profits and avoid commodity price wars, you’re much better off leading off with a pitch for something that’s more universally recognized? such as getting rid of computer viruses, stopping SPAM, or preventing computer security breaches.
(2) Sell your small business prospects on YOUR company first.
The real money in Small Business Server is NOT in reselling the Microsoft Small Business Server software. The real money comes from selling the RELATIONSHIP with the small business. So your company essentially becomes your clients’ outsourced IT department.
Remember, no small business owner is going to wake up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat, craving Small Business Server. However, small business owners DO constantly lose sleep over what will happen to their companies if their computer systems fail them. Become the solution to the more primal, survival instinct and you’ll get plenty of opportunities to sell Small Business Server, once you’ve established a solid client/consultant relationship.
(3) Microsoft doesn’t value computer consultants as much as they sometimes say.
Little known fact: the first version of Microsoft Small Business Server, planned in 1996 and released in 1997, was code-named ?SAM?? because Microsoft’s goal was for Small Business Server to completely bypass their reseller channel and be sold at ?Sam’s Club? warehouse clubs.
Business Server Product
So the product team had the mandate to make the Small Business Server product SO simple that a non-technical small business end user could buy Small Business Server at the warehouse club and have the Small Business Server suite running in their office that same day.
Shortly after the first-version shipped, Microsoft realized that the most cost-effective way to reach small businesses with Small Business Server was through their reseller channel. And since then, Small Business Server resources have flowed toward the channel.
Small Business Server
However, even today, you can often find 5-user versions of Microsoft Small Business Server in retail stores.
So the point: Microsoft isn’t putting all its Small Business Server ?eggs? in one basket, so why should you?!? Which brings us back to points one and two: Small business owners aren’t actively shopping for a ?Small Business Server?. So instead of ?selling? Small Business Server per se, you’re much better off selling a small business on YOUR company, BEFORE you sell Microsoft Small Business Server.
The Bottom Line
In this article, we looked at three Small Business Server business tips that every computer consultant, systems integrator and value added reseller needs to be aware when selling Microsoft Small Business Server.
Business To Business Copywriting Secrets
If you want to increase your marketing results and get more qualified leads, you will need to improve the effectiveness of the copywriting on your website, print ads, emails and direct mail.
This is vital because copywriting is your ?salesperson in cyberspace, in print and in the mail? ? and great salesmanship produces great sales ? average salesmanship gets only average or worse results.
Improve Your Marketing Results
Here are the copywriting tips that will improve your marketing results. These are proven based on our copywriting work for over 450 businesses since 1978.
This is a list of what your prospect is thinking as he reads your marketing copy. It?s important to make sure everything is addressed on this list. If you do this, your marketing results will improve dramatically.
1. You?d better have done your research to know what benefits I want most from your type of product or service. If you don?t, I won?t even notice you, and if I do, I won?t even give you a hearing.
2. What do you do? How will it help me? I need to know ?what?s in it for me? instantly or I?m gone.
3. Why should I believe you?
4. I already have a supplier for that ? why should I listen to you?
5. Make it easy for me to read, understand, navigate, and ?scan? your marketing material.
6. I want a specialized expert in your field for my situation or my needs or my type of business.
7. Don?t bore me! I?m sick of corporate talk, business buzz terms and mumbo-jumbo. Almost all business marketing is very dull and boring and I won?t read it.
8. I want ALL the details and specs, including product information, product applications, CAD drawings and plans, costs and shipping. A ThomasNet.com study finds a very large percentage of buyers say these details are not readily available.
9. I want to read copywriting from a real live person talking to me person to person, and not from some emotionless corporation.
10. I won?t admit it on the record, but I make purchases based on my emotions. Sure I need logic and features for verification, but if you can touch my emotions, I?m much more likely to buy from you.
11. I badly want more from my life than just work. I?m very interested in saving time, work and stress.
12. Make it easy for me! You list many different things I can do and I?m confused. What one thing should I do now and why?
13. Don?t overload your website or brochure with fluff ? stick only to relevant and helpful information I need. I?m tired of all the irrelevant ?filler? information on the web and I won?t read through it anymore.
14. Compare your product or service against your competitors for me if it is really as good as you say it is. Be honest, as I?ll see through any favoritism.
15. Be specific; generalities go right into my garbage.
16. What?s your guarantee?
17. How can I test your product, service or company first, in a low or no cost way, before I make a large commitment?
18. Help me justify the investment to my boss on an ROI basis.
Secrets Applied Properly
These copywriting secrets applied properly are a main reason one website, direct mail piece or ad can pull 2 to 3 times the response as another for the same product or service. small businesses This is why the most successful marketers hire the best outside freelance copywriters they can afford.